Finding This Rare Vintage Pyrex Dish Could Make Your Thrift Haul Worth A Fortune

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Begun by Corning Glass Works in the early 20th century, the Pyrex brand is among the most recognizable and beloved of all glassware. The brand is so popular that there are certain valuable vintage Pyrex items you should never overlook when you're out shopping at an estate sale or thrift store. Of all those vintage pieces, though, there is one rare dish that could make your thrift haul worth more than you likely paid for it: the 1956 UFO Atomic Casserole and Warmer.

Different from the standard Pyrex you find at the grocery store, vintage Pyrex pieces are made out of borosilicate glass, which is far more resistant to thermal shock than the soda-lime glass the brand uses today. The '56 UFO Atomic Casserole dish is made out of this older type of glass and earned its name from the mid-century design that makes it look like an alien spaceship straight from a '50s sci-fi movie.

Identified by its bright turquoise color, the UFO casserole dish is sought after thanks to its unique design and rarity. The full unit comes with the casserole dish, a metal lid, and a metal warmer stand composed of cradle arms, candle basin, and legs. You could place a lit candle in the basin to keep whatever food you cooked in the casserole dish warm. While it is exceptionally cool to look at, why exactly would you want to nab one for cheap while thrifting? Well, these pieces can be worth a surprising amount of money.

A reasonable question to ask yourself: Just how valuable can an old Pyrex dish be? Back in 2022, a rare Lucky in Love Pyrex dish almost sold on ebay for $22K, but the winning bidder later withdrew their offer. A Goodwill store in New York reported selling a dish with that same heart-and-clover pattern in 2017 for $5,994. People will pay a lot of money for rare Pyrex pieces in good shape, and the '56 UFO Atomic Casserole is no exception. 

When shopping for this piece online, you're likely to find it priced anywhere from $800 to $1,500. However, there are several pieces that have been sold or are currently available for purchase at the time of writing that exceed that amount. 

While you're not likely to come across one being sold at these higher prices at an estate sale, thrift store, or flea market, you can still expect to pay a bit more than you'd think for this rare Pyrex. Apart from its defining color and shape, this set is also distinguished by all-caps PYREX logo stamped on the bottom of the casserole dish. If you manage to find one for a reasonable amount of money, buy it and impress your guests with this wonderfully retro blast from the past.